Betty Horn Russell

Betty Horn Russell, 90, a resident of Luverne, Alabama, passed away peacefully at Luverne Health & Rehabilitation on Saturday, August 2nd, 2025. Funeral services for Betty will be held at 11 AM on Tuesday, August 5th, from the Chapel of Turners Funeral Home with Rev. Neal Kelley officiating. Interment will follow in Chapel Hill Cemetery in Rutledge with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday for one hour prior to the service.

Betty was an extremely respected and accomplished nurse who was utterly devoted to her chosen profession and one of the best to ever do it. She earned her first nursing degree from the University Hospital of Nursing in Birmingham in 1960, followed by graduating cum laude with her Bachelor's in Nursing degree from Troy State University and her master's from the University of Alabama in 1980. Over the years she dedicated herself to her hometown with becoming the first Director of Nursing for 10 years after the Crenshaw County Hospital first opened and spending much of her life working with the health department in some form or the other throughout her life. She was also one of only two critical care specialists in the whole county. Before long, recognizing her talent and ability, Troy University reached out and snatched her up so she could help run their nursing school for 27 years. During that time, she trained more student nurses than we could possibly count, and you can bet she made sure every single one of them got the best education possible. Not only did she save so many lives during her career, but her influence has also saved countless others throughout these many years. Both the American Heart Association and the Alabama Lung Association recognized her many abilities and depended on her with everything they did in Crenshaw County, as well as presenting her with numerous awards during her time of service.

It should come as no surprise that Betty was one of the most determined and strong-willed people on this planet! She was also as direct as they come and tough as nails. Life could throw whatever it could think of at her and she was guaranteed to withstand the storm with her uncompromising values and principles intact. Let me tell you, Betty was sharp as a tack and could do anything she set her mind to do, but it was gonna be according to her time and plan. She didn't stand for your excuses or foolishness, but the people she loved were guaranteed to always have a place in her heart, no matter what. All that said, don't think Betty didn't know how to have fun! She loved going to the beach and on camping trips with her husband. She and Tom were always packing up in their camper (now you all know Betty wasn't sleeping on the ground in a tent to camp) to head off to the lake so he could fish and she could enjoy the view....sometimes while parasailing! At home, she enjoyed time with her friends, her bridge club, the Luverne Garden Club, sewing heirloom dresses, and quilting. Shoot, you know only Betty would win the top award of the first quilt contest she ever entered. Above all though, she was a devoted wife, mother, and "Bah" to her beloved grandchildren and great-grands. There was nothing on this earth she wouldn't do for them, and she will be sorely missed by all those she leaves behind.

Betty was preceded in death by her son, Michael Russell; parents, Oscar & Edna Hill Horn; and brother, Robert (Ruth) Horn. She is survived by her cherished husband of 72 years, Thomas Russell; their daughter & son-in-law, Cindy & Steve Holmes; grandchildren, Jessica (Cody) Ellis and Sumpter Holmes; great-grandchildren, Jacob Jordan, Emmaleigh Ellis, and Jocelyn & Jackson Senn; sister, Joanne (Jimmy) Frankum; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family members, former students, and friends.

Active pallbearers will be Kip Smith, Tom Sanders, Sumpter Holmes, Cody Ellis, Jimbo Frankum, and Britt Frankum. T.L. Washington and Carroll Langford will serve as honorary pallbearers.

The family requests memorial donations be made to the Michael Russell Music Scholarship at the Troy University Foundation.